The present invention relates generally to a system for electrically connecting components. More particularly, the present invention relates to an electrical interconnection configured to magnetically couple two or more conductive elements together to establish an electrical conductive path between the conductive elements.
In the past, the simplest way to provide electrical power to a component or to receive electrical signal from a component was to connect a power source to the component with a conductive wire. One of the most common types of conductive wires is a copper wire. In many instances, these conductive wires are coated with a material that functions to both protect and insulate the wire. Conductive wires are manufactured in numerous “gauges” so that an appropriately sized wire may be selected for a specific application.
Typical conductive wires are relatively stiff and are not designed to stretch when a tensile force is applied to the wire. Tensile forces are common when the wire is used in conjunction with a component that experiences vibration. Thus, wires that experience tensile forces have a tendency to snap in half when stretched, thereby destroying their use as an electrical conductive path. Furthermore, the stiffness and thermal contraction properties of the materials used to support or insulate the wire become a greater problem when the wire is used in a cold environment where the materials may become brittle and possibly shrink. It is not uncommon in these situations for the materials themselves to shear the wire, thereby destroying the conductive path. Conductive elements such as conductive wire braids have been developed which have the ability to stretch more than an ordinary strand of wire. However, the amount that the conductive wire braids may stretch is still rather limited.
Thus, there exists a need for an electrical interconnection with increased versatility that is capable of providing an electrical conductive path under a wide range of operating conditions.